Most Popular
-
1
40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
-
2
Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
-
3
N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
-
4
Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
-
5
[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
-
6
Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
-
7
Govt. asks hospitals to mitigate impact of medical professors' absence
-
8
Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
-
9
S. Korea's working-age population to dip nearly 10m by 2044 amid low births
-
10
Doggy patrol team on the move to protect their cities
-
Nuke test, missile launch by N. Korea may lead to loudspeaker broadcasts
A nuclear test or a test-launch of long-range missiles by North Korea would constitute an "abnormal situation," in which South Korea would be compelled to resume its loudspeaker broadcasts against the North under a recent inter-Korean deal, the chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday. "North Korea's nuclear test and long-range missile launch should be deemed as an abnormal situation," JCS Chairman Choi Yoon-hee said in a parliamentary audit, indicating that Seoul will resume its p
Sept. 11, 2015
-
Grenade blast at boot camp kills 1, injures 2
A grenade exploded at an Army recruit training center in Daegu on Friday, killing one instructor and injuring two other soldiers, military officials said. The incident took place at 11:08 a.m. as a 20-year-old trainee, identified only by his surname Sohn, was preparing to throw a K413 hand grenade right after removing its safety hook. A 27-year-old sergeant surnamed Kim who was giving guidelines in the same trench was immediately hospitalized to treat shrapnel wounds all over his body but died a
Sept. 11, 2015
-
Grenade blast at boot camp kills 1, injures 2
A grenade exploded at an Army recruit training center in Daegu on Friday, killing one instructor and injuring two other soldiers. The incident took place at around 11 a.m. as a 20-year-old trainee, identified only by his surname Sohn, was gearing up to throw a K413 hand grenade right after removing its safety hook. A 27-year-old sergeant surnamed Kim who was giving guidelines in the same trench was immediately hospitalized to treat shrapnel wounds all over his body but died shortly before 1 p.m.
Sept. 11, 2015
-
S. Korea's chief nuclear envoy to visit U.S. next week
South Korea's chief nuclear envoy will visit the United States next week for talks with his U.S. counterpart and other officials, an official said Friday, amid renewed momentum to curb North Korea's nuclear weapons program.Hwang Joon-kook, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will fly to New York Sunday for meetings with delegates of U.N. Security Council member states.From New York, the chief envoy to the stalled six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear
Sept. 11, 2015
-
USFK commander requests probe into media leakage of new operation plan
Commander of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti has requested a joint investigation into the leakage to the media of a new military operation plan signed recently with the South Korean military, according to a parliamentary audit into Seoul's Defense Ministry."It is a fact that there has been a request (from Scaparrotti) for a joint probe," Cho Hyun-chun, the head of the Defense Security Command, said in response to a lawmaker's query on the recent media coverage of th
Sept. 10, 2015
-
Defense minister departs for Australia, Philippines
Defense Minister Han Min-koo departed for Australia Thursday to attend a joint meeting of the two countries' defense and foreign ministers in Sydney later this week.The so-called two-plus-two dialogue set for Friday will bring together Han, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and their Aussie counterparts, Kevin Andrews and Julie Bishop, in Sydney.The event marks South Korea's second biannual two-plus-two meeting with Australia, one of only two partners for the security dialogue platform. The U.S. is
Sept. 10, 2015
-
Seoul adopts proactive DMZ defense tactics
North Korea has not conducted any explosive tests required to miniaturize a nuclear warhead this year, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Thursday, indicating that Pyongyang’s technology may have gone beyond a level that requires frequent detonation experiments.During a parliamentary audit, Cho Bo-geun, chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency under the ministry, confirmed it, triggering the speculation that the North was already well on the way to being able to mount nuclear warheads on missiles.The
Sept. 10, 2015
-
Forum explores efforts for Korean unification
Some 250 top defense policymakers, military executives and academics from more than 30 countries on Thursday stressed the significance of concerted efforts of neighbors in achieving a peaceful integration of the Koreas, saying their division remains a regional threat. As the Seoul Defense Dialogue kicked off, the participants explored possible scenarios of the unification, from a “soft landing” based on a mutual consent, to a “hard landing” involving an abrupt fall of the Kim Jong-un regime or p
Sept. 10, 2015
-
Park calls for global security mechanism
By Shin Hyon-hee President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday underscored the need for a multinational security mechanism in East Asia, saying it would help bring about not only a unification of the Korean Peninsula but also lasting peace and stability in the region. In her keynote speech to the Seoul Defense Dialogue, she pointed to what she called the Asian paradox as a threat to global peace ― regional instability stemming from the perennial standoff on the peninsula and persistent territorial and hi
Sept. 9, 2015
-
‘Dolphin diplomacy’ features in Seoul Defense Dialogue
President Park Geun-hye’s attendance at China’s much-trumpeted military parade last week underscored both increasingly tricky diplomatic challenges facing South Korea, and the potential of its middle-power diplomacy to seek a delicate balance between the U.S. and China. Hwang Jae-hoPark’s trip to Beijing from Sept. 2-4 came amid escalating concerns that it could further reinforce the growing impression that Seoul is tilting too much toward Beijing at the expense of its traditional security alli
Sept. 9, 2015
-
Budget plan focuses on border defense
Seoul has earmarked 38.95 trillion won ($32.7 billion) in its proposal for next year’s defense budget, an increase of 4 percent from the previous year, as it seeks to beef up defense capabilities to better counter North Korea’s evolving military threats.“To realize a robust security, we have reflected the security situations, including North Korea’s recent provocations, and our strong resolve to address them in our budget planning for next year,” Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo said during
Sept. 9, 2015
-
Park calls for international security mechanism
President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday underscored the need for a multinational security mechanism in East Asia, saying it would help bring about not only a unification of the Korean Peninsula but also lasting peace and stability in the region. In her keynote speech to the Seoul Defense Dialogue, she pointed to what she called the Asian paradox as a threat to global peace -- regional instability stemming from the perennial standoff on the peninsula and persistent territorial and historical spats b
Sept. 9, 2015
-
Forum to draw world defense officials, experts
High-level defense officials from some 30 countries and global organizations are set to gather in Seoul this week to discuss pressing security issues around the region and the world and explore ways to counter emerging unconventional threats. Hosted by the Defense Ministry, the Seoul Defense Dialogue will kick off on Wednesday for a three-day run with the theme “70 years of the Post-WWII Era and the Division of Korea.” The vice-ministerial conference is its fourth edition this year.The participa
Sept. 8, 2015
-
‘Expensive weapons purchases to burden next government’
By Shin Hyon-heeThe Park Geun-hye government is pushing to bring in advanced, pricey military assets without a budget commensurate with the size of the projects, heaping a financial burden of billions of dollars onto its successor, a report said Monday.After analyzing 22 weapons acquisition programs each worth 500 billion won ($415 million) or more, Rep. Baek Kun-ki of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy said the incumbent administration is expected to spend some 13.6 trillion won for defens
Sept. 7, 2015
-
S. Korea, U.S. launch joint 3-day drill against bio threats
South Korea and the United States launched a joint anti-biological exercise on Monday to step up their combined response to potential biological attacks, the Ministry of National Defense said.The three-day Able Response 15 exercise will involve the defense departments of the allies as well as the local health ministry and dozens of other institutions, according to the ministry. "The latest South Korea-U.S. biological defense exercise will examine and enhance the countries' combined response syst
Sept. 7, 2015
-
S. Korea, U.S. to hold joint bio-defense drill next week
South Korea and the United States plan to conduct a joint drill next week on countering possible biological attacks on the Korean Peninsula, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. The exercise, titled "Able Response 15," will take place from Monday to Wednesday at the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses to increase preparedness for various biological threats, including disease and terrorism, according to the ministry. The annual drill, the fifth of its kind, will bring together some 20
Sept. 3, 2015
-
Court rules against release of U.S. forces crime data
An appeals court ruled Tuesday that the government does not have to unveil the information of cases involving U.S. soldiers if it has relinquished its right to exercise jurisdiction over them under the South Korea-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, upending the original judgment. Under SOFA, which governs the legal status of some 28,500 U.S. troops stationed across the southern part of the peninsula, South Korea can primarily invoke judicial power when a serviceman is implicated in crimes, except
Sept. 1, 2015
-
Military deserters down 40% in three years
The number of South Korean servicemen who deserted from the military has steadily declined by more than 40 percent over the past three years, a report said Monday, reflecting ongoing efforts to improve barrack lives. According to the report submitted by the High Court for Armed Forces to Rep. Seo Young-kyo of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, 415 people broke barracks last year, up about 41.4 percent from 708 in 2011. The annual figures have been nudging downward, albeit w
Aug. 31, 2015
-
S. Korea resumes search for remains of war dead
South Korea's military launched another round of massive excavation work Monday in search of remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. More than 40,000 troops from 14 units will be mobilized for the months-long project, a team in charge of the operation at the Defense Ministry said. They will excavate two dozen sites across the country including the Suribong area in Yanggu, Gangwon Province. Nicknamed "Bloody Ridge Line," it was a Korean War battlefield where around 20,000 Sout
Aug. 31, 2015
-
S. Korea, U.S. flaunt combined artillery power in
South Korea and the United States performed a joint war simulation on Friday involving live-fire bombings and flights of combat jets in the latest show of joint force against North Korea.The allies mobilized the biggest-ever number of troops, artillery pieces and military vehicles for this year's Integrated Firepower Exercise 2015, marking the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule in 1945. Under the scenarios of a local attack and all-out aggression by North Korea, th
Aug. 28, 2015